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Review of the Kyosho MP9 TKI2 WCE / Part 2

 

Review of the Kyosho Inferno MP9 TKI2 World Champion Edition

 

Part 1: Basics
Part 2: Building the buggy
Part 2.1: TKI2 vs. TKI2 WCE parts comparison
Part 3: On the track
Part 4: Roundup

 

2. Building the buggy

 

According to the manual, the first step was to mount all three differentials. Fortunately, the diff oils with a viscosity of 5000 for front and center and 3000 for the rear were part of the package. It was a little unusual that the manual told us to go on with the assembly of the rear and not, as usual, to start with the front. We followed this instruction but to keep the general order of our reviews, we present you the front side first.

 

You’ll find many typical solutions like threaded turnbuckles to change camber and toe in. For further setup changes of the suspension, the TKI2 WCE offers a system of interchangeable nylon inserts. Depending on design and direction of the insert, the geometry changes the way you want it to. We like this kind of system as it offers a cheap and reliable solution for setup and maintenance action.

 

 

For the steering, Kyosho used the well known and very reliable c-hub-design. The hub themselves were milled from 7075-aluminum and present a very special feature: instead of placing the ball bearing right into the hub, we again found nylon inserts which cover the bearings – this solution saves the rather expensive hub from wear.

 

 

Coming to the rear, the general procedure remained the same. All parts were manufactured very precisely, no matter if metal or nylon, and it was quite a pleasure to assemble them. As in the front, we also found milled wheel hubs from 7075-aluminium in the rear. Obviously days are gone when Kyosho’s customers had to stand cheap hubs from nylon or cast aluminum even in the top buggys of the famous brand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the middle of the chassis, we see the earlier mentioned center diff with the large housing and a steel spur gear which offers 46 teeth. Two black steel brake discs care for adequate braking.

 

 

 

To protect the steering from overstress, an adjustable servo saver was implemented which is covered against dirt by a foam ring. Two nylon braces add some strength and stiffness to the main chassis. During the latest past, we’ve seen that many manufacturers have turn away from alum chassis braces as they do not allow any flex at all and steal some traction.

 

 

Finishing the basic construction, it was time for a first short summary. It’s really impressive how Kyosho keeps the level of accuracy and quality of all parts on a high level. On the other hand, the placement of the single parts into bags was pretty confusing – again a fact that’s typical for Kyosho kits. Long before one bag was empty, we had to open several additional bags, just to go back to the first one later. Within an hour of montage, a nice chaos broke out on the work surface. But for sure this cannot hide the fact that we enjoyed the main assembly of the TKI2 WC a lot.

 

 

 

Next step was to place our LRP ZR.21X nitro engine at the engine mount from milled aluminum which is part of the package. Also included is a complete clutch system that offers three aluminum shoes and a clutchbell with 13 teeth.

 

 

 

 

To finalize the montage, we had to place the electronics inside the buggy as much as the fuel tank, air filter and the shocks which were filled with wt45 in the front and wt35 silicone oil in the rear. At this point, the Kyosho MP9 TKI2 WCE was almost ready to go.

 

2.1 TKI2 vs. TKI2 WCE parts comparison

 

The fact that the WCE is based on the TKI2 gives a good opportunity to compare their differences.

If you take a look at the front shock towers, you’ll easily notice that the one of the WCE has less milling. The target is quite simple: more material – more strength.

 

 

Same proceeding – same result at the front lower suspension holder. The WCE owns the stronger one.

 

 

Away from strength, but for more reliability we found some short extra claws at the housing of the WCE air filter which keep the outer foam in place.

 

 

It takes a second look to notice the strengthening of the outer ball ends of the WCE’s upper rear suspension arms.

 

 

The rear shock tower of the WCE was changed in two basic aspects. On one hand, there’s less milling again. On the other, you get two extra mounting holes for the upper rear suspension arms on both sides. Some more setup options and again additional strength.

 

 

Even harder to find is the difference at the lower front suspension arms. Those of the WCE got a strengthening in the area where the stabilizers are mounted.

 

 

One thing which is really special is the new position of the receiver battery. The target is obviously to push the center of gravity to the front axle to gain some better cornering. Of course, you still got the choice to place the battery inside the radio box.

 

 

Under the bottom line, most of the changes were made to increase the stability and reliability of the buggy, besides some extra setup options. The reason for this is quite simple: Cody King took the title at Pattaya, Thailand. The track showed a surface of maximum roughness, strength and reliability were the most urgent factors.
 

Stay tuned for part 3 of the review

 

 

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